Beneath the Surface (The Kingsleys 1) by Kaira Rouda-review & giveaway

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On a weekend voyage, the power-hungry children of an aging billionaire are unprepared for a storm of deceptions in a novel about ruthless family ambition by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

You are cordially invited to an overnight voyage on the Splendid Seas.

An invitation to Catalina Island from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. For his sons, Ted and John, and their wives, it’s an opportunity to curry favor, gain control of a real estate empire, and secure their family’s futures. For the controlling patriarch, succession is a contest. He and his newest wife won’t make it an easy win.

Then Richard’s estranged live-wire daughter, Sibley, crashes the party. She’s the least of the night’s surprises. As the stakes for the inheritance of the Kingsley legacy are raised, the beautiful waters of the Pacific look more like a menacing illusion.

Let the games begin for a family who has everything money can buy, and has used lies, deception, and more to keep it. This weekend one of them will be crowned heir. One is in line to lose everything. That’s the plan. But in the coming storm, so much can go dangerously wrong.

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REVIEW: BENEATH THE SURFACE is the first instalment in Kaira Rouda’s contemporary, adult THE KINGSLEYS dramatic, thriller series focusing on the dysfunctional Kingsley family.

Told from five different perspectives (Paige, John, Serena, Sibley and Richard) as well as intermittent gossip site reporting, BENEATH THE SURFACE focuses on the bitter reunion, sibling fighting and the naming of a new CEO at Kingsley Enterprises. Billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley, the patriarch of the Kingsley family, has invited all of his children and their spouses aboard his new yacht, the Splendid Seas. Along with his much younger wife Serena, Richard has set a plan into motion to ferret out who would be best suited to take the reins at the top but each sibling is determined to win their father’s approval, forgetting that Richard Kingsley knows all, and more than anyone could have imagined. A weekend cruise, a storm on the seas, and the revelation of secrets and lies, proves that Richard is unable to trust those vying for the top prize.

BENEATH THE SURFACE is reminiscent of televisions’ SUCCESSION™ and the maladjusted Roy family. From the top, Richard Kingsley has pitted his own children against one another, in an effort to see who was worthy of the job. All of his children and some of their spouses keep hidden the secrets that could destroy them all but Richard is well aware of everything, including the biggest secret of them all. Murder and mayhem, theft and destruction, drugs, gambling, adultery and blackmail are but a few of the sins uncovered by the man at the top.

We are introduced to the Kingsley siblings: John and Rachel, Ted and Paige, only daughter Sibley, as well as Richard’s fourth (or fifth) wife Serena.

BENEATH THE SURFACE is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, dysfunctional family values, greed and murder. The premise is intriguing, captivating and dramatic; the characters are pathological, desperate, jealous and lost. BENEATH THE SURFACE is only the beginning as the new CEO is about to have their hands full when betrayal continues to push at the wounds.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Social Media Links: Amazon Author Page/ Goodreads/ Website/ Twitter/ Facebook/ Instagram/

Kaira Rouda is a USA TODAY and Amazon Charts bestselling author of contemporary fiction exploring beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Her suspense novels include BEST DAY EVER, THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER, ALL THE DIFFERENCE, THE NEXT WIFE and SOMEBODY’S HOME. Her next novel, THE WIDOW, is out December 1, 2022.

She lives in Southern California with her family and is at work on her next novel. Connect with her on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest: @KairaRouda; and on Facebook at Kaira Rouda Books.

If you’d like to host Kaira at your book club, please reach out through her website KairaRouda.com

Sign up to receive a monthly email from Kaira with exclusive sales news, book excerpts, sweepstakes, and giveaways at: kairarouda.com/signup/

The Reading Cafe and Spark Points Studio are graciously offering a paper copy of BENEATH THE SURFACE by Kaira Rouda to TWO (2) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe.

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9. Giveaway open to USA only

10. Giveaway runs from September 18-22, 2023